OXON HILL, Md. — WUSA9 is hearing more concerns around a student’s safety at Potomac High School in Prince George’s County.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy says her office is in contact with the family we first spoke to about possible consequences for the girls who beat Kayla. Now we are hearing new allegations from another student who says one of those girls has sent her death threats.
“I go to school, I go to class, I go home,” the Potomac High School student said. “So I’ve never seen them, I didn’t know why they were doing what they’re doing or who they were.”
The student — too terrified to share her identity but voicing her concerns.
“I just want to know what is going to happen from here,” she said. “Am I safe? Are these girls going to retaliate now that they’re received consequences for their actions?”
She said she’s received threats of violence and even death threats since Saturday.
“Messages along the lines of ‘we got something for you and your girl’, things like that,” the student said. “I’m looking over my shoulder, I’m looking at people in the hallway and I’m watching their body language.”
She said this student is one of the girls caught on camera assaulting 14-year-old Kayla Caldwell last week.
Kayla Caldwell was punched in the head on the floor of a utility closet at the school in Oxon Hill last week. Caldwell has a broken nose and hand and bruises all over, not to mention, the emotional scars.
“To know that I was not the first and there’s a huge chance that I wouldn’t be the last had I not said something deeply concerned me,” she said.
Now this other student is concerned about her bright future.
“I do everything in my power to stay away from drama,” the student said. “To think about my future with school and how it would be on my record forever.”
WUSA9 asked the student what she would like to see done next.
“I want to see more, I guess alert and attention,” she said. “If you see something happening once why do you wait for it happen another time or another time after that?”
Prince George’s County Public Schools sent us a statement saying:
“Students and their families can also report bullying, harassment and intimidation using our online form, which has a link on every school's homepage under 'Helpful Links.'"
Due to federal privacy laws we can not share student information, including disciplinary actions. Please see statement below regarding the initial incident at Potomac:
PGCPS Statement on Dec. 5 Incident:
The safety of students is our top priority. On December 5, an incident at Potomac High School resulted in injuries to a student. Our Safety and Security personnel immediately responded to address the situation. School district administrators are in contact with the student’s family, and we are working to provide any necessary mental health support to the victim.
The incident is under active investigation. Due to FERPA privacy laws, we are unable to provide additional information.
Fighting is unacceptable and may result in disciplinary action including but not limited to suspension and expulsion, as outlined in our Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. We encourage students facing peer conflicts to seek support from their school counselor or mental health clinician.”